January 16
January 16
“Moon Maniac” killer is executed
Albert Fish is executed at Sing Sing prison in New York. The “Moon Maniac” was one of America’s most notorious and disturbed killers. Authorities believe that Fish killed as many…
A Year In History: 1936
Also Within This Year in History:
1936
The Spanish Civil War began in 1936. In England, King Edward VIII abdicated the throne to marry divorcee Wallis Simpson. American Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics, undermining Hitler’s claims of Aryan superiority. The British ocean liner Queen Mary and the German airship Hindenburg completed their maiden voyages, Girl Scout cookies began to be sold nationally and the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted its first five members, including the recently retired Babe Ruth.
January 26
January 26
So‑called “Mad Butcher” terrorizes Cleveland
The dismembered body of Florence Polillo is found in a basket and several burlap sacks in Cleveland. The 42‑year‑old woman was the third victim in 18 months to be found…
January 29
January 29
U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame elects first members
On January 29, 1936, the U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame elects its first members in Cooperstown, New York: Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Matthewson and Walter Johnson. The…
January 29
January 29
This Day in History Video: What Happened on January 29
On this day in 1936, the U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame elects its first members in Cooperstown, New York: Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Matthewson and Walter Johnson.…
February 8
February 8
Jay Berwanger picked No. 1 in first NFL draft
On February 8, 1936, at Philadelphia’s Ritz‑Carlton Hotel, University of Chicago halfback Jay Berwanger, the first Heisman Trophy winner, is picked No. 1 overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first NFL…
March 7
March 7
Hitler reoccupies the Rhineland, violating the Treaty of Versailles
Nazi leader Adolf Hitler violates the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Pact by sending German military forces into the Rhineland, a demilitarized zone along the Rhine River in western…
April 3
April 3
Bruno Hauptmann, convicted of kidnapping Lindbergh’s son, executed
Bruno Richard Hauptmann, convicted in the 1932 kidnapping and murder of the 20‑month‑old son of Charles A. Lindbergh, is executed by electrocution. On March 1, 1932, Charles Lindbergh Jr., the…
May 28
May 28
A single horsehair helps convict the killer of Nancy Titterton
On May 28, 1936, a killer is convicted on the basis of a single horse hair. That equine strand was the decisive clue in the rape‑murder of Nancy Titterton in…
June 3
June 3
Western author Larry McMurtry is born
Larry McMurtry, one of the most well‑known modern writers in the western genre, is born in Wichita Falls, Texas on June 3, 1936. McMurtry’s family had been involved in Texas…
June 30
June 30
“Gone With the Wind” published
Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind, one of the best‑selling novels of all time and the basis for a blockbuster 1939 movie, is published on June 30, 1936. In 1926,…
July 17
July 17
Spanish Civil War breaks out
On July 17, 1936, the Spanish Civil War begins as a revolt by right‑wing Spanish military officers in Spanish Morocco and spreads to mainland Spain. From the Canary Islands, General…
August 1
August 1
Hitler oversees Berlin Olympics opening ceremony
As more than 5,000 athletes from 51 countries march into a stadium packed with 100,000 onlookers, Adolf Hitler makes his only public statement of the Berlin Olympics at its opening…
August 4
August 4
Jesse Owens wins long jump—and respect—in Germany
On August 4, 1936, American Jesse Owens wins gold in the long jump at the Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. It was the second of four gold medals Owens won…
August 9
August 9
Jesse Owens wins 4th gold medal
At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, African American track star Jesse Owens wins his fourth gold medal of the Games in the 4×100‑meter relay. His relay team set a new world…
September 7
September 7
Rock ‘n’ roll legend Buddy Holly is born
On September 7, 1936, Charles Hardin Holley, later known as Buddy Holly, is born in Lubbock, Texas. The lanky, bespectacled musician would have an outsize influence on rock and roll…
October 9
October 9
Hoover Dam begins transmitting electricity to Los Angeles
On October 9, 1936, harnessing the power of the mighty Colorado River, Hoover Dam begins sending electricity over transmission lines spanning 266 miles of mountains and deserts to run the…
November 23
November 23
First issue of “Life” is published
On November 23, 1936, the first issue of the pictorial magazine Life is published, featuring a cover photo of the Fort Peck Dam’s spillway by Margaret Bourke‑White. Life actually had…
December 11
December 11
Edward VIII abdicates
After ruling for less than one year, Edward VIII becomes the first English monarch to voluntarily abdicate the throne. He chose to abdicate after the British government, public, and the…
December 30
December 30
Sit‑down strike begins in Flint
At 8 p.m. on December 30, 1936, in one of the first sit‑down strikes in the United States, autoworkers occupy the General Motors Fisher Body Plant Number One in Flint,…
